Fibre-optic bronchoscopy in adults: a position paper of The Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand

Fibre-optic bronchoscopy in adults is a common procedure in clinical respiratory practice. Under controlled conditions it is safe, resulting in relatively few significant adverse events. The present position paper updates guidelines previously published by The Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and is based on evidence obtained by searching the Medline and Embase databases. The level of evidence to support recommendations is indicated in the text. Where no evidence has been found, the guidelines reflect the opinions of the authors. Specific recommendations are made regarding sedation and anaesthesia, the cleaning of bronchoscopes and the training of bronchoscopists.